Deborah the 4th Judge of Israel

Deborah was the only woman Judge or Ruler of Israel. She ruled about 1237BC—1198BC, she was also a prophetess.

She was the wife of Lapidoth and held court under the palm tree of Deborah. Deborah seemed to hold her court under the palm tree of Deborah for a number of years, this may have been for more than thirty years. She could have lived till she was over seventy years old.

She must have been some woman as people came to her as she did not go to them.

The palm tree of Deborah was between Ramah and Bethel in hill country of Ephraim.

Deborah in Hebrews means: bee, wasp.

Background Reading:

Deborah

4After Ehud died, the Israelites once
again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 2So the LORD sold
them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.
The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3Because
he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the
Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was
leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the
Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of
Ephraim,
and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. 6She
sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him,
"The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten
thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. 7I
will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and
his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'"

8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but
if you don't go with me, I won't go."

9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But
because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be
yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went
with Barak to Kedesh, 10 where he summoned Zebulun and
Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the
descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother&ndashin–law, and pitched his tent by
the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had
gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera gathered together his
nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth
Haggoyim to the Kishon River.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the
LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of
you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. 15At
Barak's advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army
by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. 16But
Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All
the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left.

17 Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations
between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come,
my lord, come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and
she put a covering over him.

19 "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water."
She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.

20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If
someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.'"

21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a
hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She
drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

22 Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out
to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking
for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg
through his temple—dead.

23 On that day God subdued Jabin, the
Canaanite king, before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of
the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite
king, until they destroyed him.

The Song of Deborah

5On that day Deborah and Barak son of
Abinoam sang this song:

2 "When the princes in Israel take the lead,

when the people willingly offer themselves—

praise the LORD!

3 "Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!

I will sing to the LORD, I will sing;

I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel.

4 "O LORD, when you went out from Seir,

when you marched from the land of Edom,

the earth shook, the heavens poured,

the clouds poured down water.

5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai,

before the LORD, the God of Israel.

6 "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned;

travelers took to winding paths.

7 Village life in Israel ceased,

ceased until I, Deborah, arose,

arose a mother in Israel.

8 When they chose new gods,

war came to the city gates,

and not a shield or spear was seen

among forty thousand in Israel.

9 My heart is with Israel's princes,

with the willing volunteers among the people.

Praise the LORD!

10 "You who ride on white donkeys,

sitting on your saddle blankets,

and you who walk along the road,

consider 11 the voice of the singers at the watering places.

They recite the righteous acts of the LORD,

the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel.

"Then the people of the LORD

went down to the city gates.

12 'Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, break out in song!

Arise, O Barak!

Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam.'

13 "Then the men who were left

came down to the nobles;

the people of the LORD

came to me with the mighty.

14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;

Benjamin was with the people who followed you.

From Makir captains came down,

from Zebulun those who bear a commander's staff.

15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;

yes, Issachar was with Barak,

rushing after him into the valley.

In the districts of Reuben

there was much searching of heart.

16 Why did you stay among the campfires

to hear the whistling for the flocks?

In the districts of Reuben

there was much searching of heart.

17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.

And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?

Asher remained on the coast

and stayed in his coves.

18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;

so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.

19 "Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,

but they carried off no silver, no plunder.

20 From the heavens the stars fought,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The river Kishon swept them away,

the age—old river, the river Kishon.

March on, my soul; be strong!

22 Then thundered the horses' hoofs—

galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.

23 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD.

'Curse its people bitterly,

because they did not come to help the LORD,

to help the LORD against the mighty.'

24 "Most blessed of women be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite,

most blessed of tent–dwelling women.

25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;

in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.

26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,

her right hand for the workman's hammer.

She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,

she shattered and pierced his temple.

27 At her feet he sank,

he fell; there he lay.

At her feet he sank, he fell;

where he sank, there he fell—dead.

28 "Through the window peered Sisera's mother;

behind the lattice she cried out,

'Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?'

29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;

indeed, she keeps saying to herself,

30 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:

a girl or two for each man,

colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,

colorful garments embroidered,

highly embroidered garments for my neck—

all this as plunder?'

31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!

But may they who love you be like the sun

Then the land had peace forty years.
Judges 4:1–5:31

More Information:

Deborah ruled for fourty years.

After the death of Deborah the Israelites again did eveil in the eyes of God. This time of seven years were God gave them into the hands of the Midianites was one of about seven cycles were the Israelites again did eveil in the eyes of God.